Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla – Threemendous 3 – 21st July 2012

This DVD has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. However, when asking several people who’s opinions on pro-wrestling I really respect and trust which PWG shows I should check out, literally all of them listed this one. This got such glowing and enthusiastically positive reviews I simply had to pick this one up. It’s sat in shrink wrap on my shelf for a long time, but I’ve now dusted it off and am ready to check it out. The main event pits three exceptional teams against each other in a Ladder Match for the PWG Tag Titles – with the Super Smash Bros. defending against Future Shock and the dominant force in PWG tag wrestling, the Young Bucks. Beneath that there are four back-to-back undercard matches, all of which will be hard-fought and intense, and any of which could steal the show if given the opportunity. They are Edwards/Cage, Younger/B-Boy, Elgin/Callihan and Steen/Mack for the PWG Title. We join Excalibur and friends in Reseda, CA.

Joey Ryan interrupts Excalibur’s introduction, and points out that he’s been in PWG since day one…then hits on a hot bartender. Referee Rick Knox has been here since the first show as well, so interrupts his promo with a lariat! In any other company that would be weird as hell.

Joey Ryan vs Famous B
Ryan was already starting to flirt with a TNA career at this point, having appeared in one of those dumb ass ‘Gut Check’ segments and got into a minor squabble with Taz. Despite that, he still remains a proud member of the PWG roster and wants to kick-start the 9th anniversary celebrations with a win.

Famous tries to steal the win with one of the slowest ‘flash pins’ you’ll ever see in your life. Thankfully his kicks look a lot more forceful, and they drive Joey out of the ring. Ryan dodges a tope suicida attempt and takes B down with one of his own. More embarrassingly slow stuff from B, who takes an age to get to the top rope thusly eradicating any drama from Joey ducking his crossbody attempt. He has better luck with a lunging enziguri strike that leaves both himself and his opponent on the deck. This match is so dull it’s even bored the awesome Reseda crowd into silence. Ryan hits a pumphandle suplex, with Excalibur cracking jokes about TNA Gut Check the whole time. Moustache Ride blocked and…slowly…eventually…for f*cks same get on with it…Famous B counters into a hanging underhook backbreaker. He hits the first somersault plancha (of many) this evening, although in truth hardly even grazed Joey so landed hard on the floor. Ryan isn’t impressed, and spears him into a double underhook backbreaker/Black Superkick combo for 2. Pumphandle backbreaker by Famous. End this sh*t already please. Rick Knox inadvertently gets in B’s way…allowing Ryan to swoop in on his opponent with a TAZMISSION! B taps at 10:48

Rating - * - This pretty much sucked. One of the problems with PWG is that they are always so generous with their match times that, when you get a sh*tty match like this, it feels like you have to sit through it for AGES. Famous B was simply terrible in this match. Whether he was ill, or injured I don’t know, but everything he did looked slow, overly rehearsed and overwhelmingly fake. In Nigel McGuinness’ documentary he says that wrestling, when done badly, looks like two men ‘letting each other’ beat them up, or worse two men ‘letting each other PRETEND’. That was the issue with B here. He slides under the radar in the vapid PWG comedy multi-man tags, but was badly exposed in a singles match. Joey Ryan isn’t my favourite wrestler in the world but he had NOTHING to work with here. It was only the fun Tazmission finish that saved this from a DUD.

TJ Perkins vs Roderick Strong
Poor Roddy is miles down the card tonight. He’s another guy who’s been in PWG for a long time, and is still chasing the dream of becoming PWG Champion. Can he adjust his skillset to face an opponent as unique and unpredictable as TJP?

Perkins instantly lays down a marker as he proves impossible for Strong to tie down on the canvas. Soon it looks like Strong is the one fighting for his life as TJ effortlessly quickens the pace and works circles round him. Figure 4 Deathlock, floated straight into an STF – making the point that Perkins’ can comfortably out-wrestle the former ROH World Champion if he builds some momentum. Strong looks for a desperate Sick Kick, only for TJP to hang in the ropes to avoid it then dive at him with an ELBOW SUICIDA! At last Strong manages to catch TJ…into ROLLING RIBBREAKERS! He may not be as fast, but Roddy is significantly stronger and emphasises that by really tossing Perkins around. Pretty soon the smaller guy is slowed, now allowing Strong to work grounded submission holds and even get the better of faster paced exchanges too. TJ is quickly overwhelmed and barely able to climb off the canvas without being blasted by a stiff strike, backbreaker or slam. STRIKE FLURRY by TJ, then a Cristo to counter another backbreaker attempt. Kick to the ribs blocks another STF from Perkins, only for TJ to counter the Stronghold into a pinning combination for 2. RUNNING KNEE TO THE RIBS! URINAGE BACKBREAKER! Death By Roderick blocked with a mid-air rana…then the Sick Kick is COUNTERED TO A LIGERBOMB! Detonation Kick blocked into a CHAOS THEORY BACKBREAKER! DEATH BY RODERICK FOR 2! Perkins makes one last attempt to quicken the pace – hitting a springboard dropkick then an Austin Aries-inspired brainbuster. JUMPING KNEE! END OF HEARTACHE! Strong wins at 12:04

Rating - **** - This was every bit as good as the opening match was abysmal. These guys gelled so well, and delivered a hell of a match which emphasised their respective strengths so well. Perkins got to look great in defeat as his speed, trickery and mat skills constantly made it difficult for Strong. However, in the end, Strong’s power and bigger offensive bombs down the closing straight got him the win. They packed heaps of fun into just twelve minutes here – an outstanding wrestling match.

RockNES Monsters vs Fightin’ Taylor Boys
Representing the Taylors tonight is Chuck and Ryan, with Brian Cage facing Eddie Edwards in singles competition next. These two teams are fixtures in the tag team scene in PWG, but haven’t managed to break through onto the level of guys like the Young Bucks. Indeed, recently Chuck’s appearances in the company have been becoming rather infrequent. Which one of these duos leaves the 9th anniversary with a huge win to propel them up the tag rankings?

The Taylors begin the match drinking a pitcher of beer. Chucky is so much more over than anyone else here. He then rubs some of the Monsters’ streamers in his butt crack before shoving them into Yuma’s mouth. There is plenty of fun to be had modifying various submission holds to incorporate pulling Yuma’s hair too – such as a hair choke camel clutch, or a hair pulling STF. Armdrag flurry by Goodtime, although that seems to irritate the Taylors more than injure them. On commentary Joey Ryan is making fun of PWG’s booking – which puts the Monsters over in basically every match until they challenge for the Tag Titles. Goodtime spills Chuck’s beer, with Yuma using the distraction that causes to sneak in for an illegal assault on Ryan. The RockNES Monsters are clearly showing a more aggressive streak and getting genuine heel heat for it now. Yuma rears his had again to haul Chucky off the apron just when Ryan seemed destined to make a much-needed tag. BEARD RAKE BY GOODTIME! He then lands the Mushroom Stomp for 2. Ryan gets the tag to Chuck, who back flips into a belly to belly suplex on Yuma. Explosive Amnesia by the Monsters puts him down again, until a battle-weary Ryan makes the save. DOUBLE LUNGBLOWER COMBO by the Taylors for 2. Tope suicida from Goodtime to Ryan. SPLASH MOUNTAIN BOMB TO THE FLOOR BY CHUCK! Yuma got thrown like he was a small child! Somersault plancha #2 of the evening nailed by Chucky right afterwards. Awful Waffle blocked…only for Yuma to save the match for his team after Ryan takes Goodtime out with a flipping neckbreaker. Chuck blocks the Stage Dive, but is pinned by Yuma (with illegal help from Goodtime) at 16:47 for an extremely unpopular Monsters victory.

Rating - *** - Like the opening match this was FAR too long. You could have shaved around half the match here and lost nothing from the actual content. That said, I really liked the Monsters as heels. It was great booking by PWG, as the fans were always going to give Chuck Taylor plenty of support on his first show in months. Giving the Monsters a new gimmick, to coincide with their increasing popularity in Japan, is a nice way to freshen up their act after it had started to get pretty stale. Since the Taylors aren’t as regular in this company as they used to be, it was right they put them over too.

Brian Cage vs Eddie Edwards
This one should be a hard hitting affair. Cage looks absolutely jacked now and was being positioned by PWG for a big singles push. There is no better guy to help with that than Eddie Edwards. Die Hard is an awesome worker, has experience working main events and World Title matches and is also flexible enough to work a variety of styles. In other words he’s the perfect talent for Brian to learn from if Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla want to move him up the card.

The first exchange sees Cage easily overpower Eddie, whilst the second has Eddie easily out-wrestle him on the ground. In less than a minute they’ve pretty succinctly emphasised the differences between them and laid down the core theme of the match. Indeed, Brian’s power is such that he can effectively run through the signature fierce chopping of Edwards. Die Hard dials up the speed, but doesn’t count on Cage being able to match him – and eats a jumping enzi to the face as he attempts the elbow suicida. Excalibur and Rick Knox play up the experience of Edwards, which starts to show as he finds ways to pepper the larger man with strikes from all over the place. Cage endures some big shots, but eventually manages to catch his illusive opponent into a POWERBOMB BACKBREAKER. BICEP CURL FALLAWAY SLAM! That’s a seriously impressive display of strength. Using all his might BCT is really starting to decimate Edwards’ back – using weird backbreaker variants like he’s Roderick Strong in 2004. Eddie realises he needs something big…AND MOONSAULTS OFF THE APRON AT HIM! That was so insane Eddie basically overshot Cage and landed right on top of his head in the rows of chairs. Machine Gun Chops, into a bridging northern lights for 2. BURNING HAMMER BY CAGE! Incredibly, Eddie barely even pauses to sell one of the most devastating finishers in all of wrestling, and hops right back up to land the Boston Knee Party. Achilles Lock…countered to the inverted cloverleaf…countered to the STF! Backpack Stunner escaped by Brian…who gives Edwards a DISCUS LARIAT ON THE APRON! Poor Eddie barely has time to recover before he is being dragged back into the ring with a dead-lift superplex. Weapon X into a GERMAN SUPLEX! NO SOLD! SUPERKICK! NO SOLD! DISCUS LARIAT! PUMPHANDLE DRIVER! WEAPON X! Cage picks up a huge victory at 15:23

Rating - **** - If you’re looking for great selling, and wrestlers ‘slowing down’ (as Jim Ross likes to say) this really wasn’t the match for you. I’m not sure either guy paused to sell a single move they hit each other with for more than a few seconds. When the Burning Hammer barely registers as a nearfall, you realise you’re not necessarily watching a psychological classic. However, I actually liked this. The idea was to get Cage over, and it worked. The early going emphasised Eddie’s technical advantage and superior experience…so the fact that Brian was able to overcome that and dominate long periods of the match makes him look really credible. Plus, the spectacle of watching these two guys empty the tanks and beat the hell out of each other was undeniably fun.

Post-match Cage throws down his hat for a PWG Title shot, whilst simultaneously doing an inexplicable Booker T impression (including Spin-aroonie). Of course, this is PWG so the crowd absolutely love it.

SIDENOTE – Brian Cage is such a fun wrestler to watch, but as I watch more and more of his matches I’m starting to realise that almost every one of them is a no-selling offensive splurge. I don’t have a problem with that, as he is pretty damn good at them. And maybe it’s the case that I only really see him in PWG, where the style is heavily weighted towards spot-heavy matches. HOWEVER, I suspect it may be part of the reason why he’s never got beyond PWG. Aside from the occasional WWE/TNA try-out and his current run in Lucha Underground, he’s pretty much restricted himself to being a SoCal indy scene guy. He has the look, the body and the talent to be much more than that. Is he at the point where he is only capable of indy-riffic spotfests? Is that style what prevents him from getting a shot in WWE? Can any PWG completists or long-time fans of his email me (snowboarding_on_my_head@hotmail.com) with some match recommendations where you feel he isn’t just ‘getting his sh*t in’? Again, I’m not necessarily criticising him or saying I don’t like the guy. I always love watching him. I’m just curious as to how a guy who seems to have ALL the tools to be a real star in this business has had such a limited impact thus far in his career.

Kevin Steen vs Willie Mack – PWG World Title Match
I think Mack had already defeated Steen (possibly in a non-title match?) by this point. It means Steen is super-motivated to defeat him, and since Willie has been pushed so hard, against all the top names to come through PWG, there is a genuine ‘big match feel’ to this. Can Mack be the one to end Steen’s latest PWG Championship run?

Steen jumps Willie during his ring entrance, although since PWG edit their ring entrances out of the DVD releases it loses all its effectiveness. It does instantly position Steen as the heel, even with the PWG fans though. Mr Wrestling pulls no punches as he drags the challenger around ringside beating the sh*t out of him. APRON BOMB! There are so many people packed into the building that spot genuinely endangers the camera man, and numerous fans in the locale. Amusingly, Kevin pauses to discuss with the same camera man exactly which vertebrae he thinks he has injured on Mack. He stays on the back, and is now able to use it to quickly put Willie on the mat despite being a big guy. Literally everything Steen does is delivered with horrific force – including Irish whips which legit move the ring and a senton across the back which nearly breaks his arm for good measure. He screams ‘dickhead heel’, so of course is now getting crazy babyface heat from the crowd. Cannonball misses, giving the hurting Willie back a chance to nail him with a BACK DROP DRIVER! MDX scores…before Steen counters a slingshot dropkick into the SHARPSHOOTER! Mack escapes and hits a Samoan drop, which of course does more damage to his own back. He takes too long recovering…and MISSES the nip-up standing moonsault. ROCK BOTTOM gets 2 for the champion! ‘That works for my best friend’ – Steen to the ref. STEEN-TON BOMB GETS KNEES! EXPLOIIIDAAAAAA! Willie struggles to stand but still takes the fight to the champion! NIP-UP MOONSAULT! TOP ROPE MOONSAULT! STEEN KICKS OUT! Was that all Mack had left in the tank though? F-5 NAILED…ON TOP OF RICK KNOX! Mr Wrestling has it won, but since the ref just got crushed there is nobody to count the fall. Brian Cage then runs in to lay out Steen with a TKO! NECK BUMP DISCUS LARIAT ON MACK! Brian leaves his mark on the match and ensures he is right in the mix for a title shot no matter who wins. PACKAGE PILEDRIVER! MACK KICKS OUT! The crowd goes apesh*t for that. Willie chases Steen up the ropes…and is hauled off into a PSYCHO DRIVER! Steen retains at 18:10

Rating - **** - Match of the night thus far, and the biggest compliment you can give both men is that the fans didn’t want it to end. By the closing stretch of this match they’d reached the point where the crowd didn’t care who won and who lost, they just wanted to watch them compete for as long as possible. EVERY nearfall, no matter who was pinning whom, was cheered to the rafters. The interference was done with the best of intentions but did annoy me somewhat, if only because I was enjoying Mack and Steen absolutely beat the hell out of each other. Steen was a joy to watch in the first ten minutes, assaulting the back and doing everything in his power to be the biggest asshole possible. It was the perfect foil to Mack’s fiery babyface act – even if it inadvertently turned Mr Wrestling into a bigger babyface than the challenger. And although he could have sold the back a lot better, Willie’s comeback segments were unbelievably good. And when the bell was rung everyone benefits. Steen gets an impressive win, and instantly has his next opponent positioned in Brian Cage. And Mack put in the performance of his life, kicked out of the Package Piledriver, needed to be put away with Super Dragon’s finisher…and therefore leaves with his stock immeasurably boosted even in defeat.

B-Boy vs Drake Younger
This is Drake’s PWG debut. Given that he’d been wrestling on the east coast and through the Midwest for the best part of a decade, it’s taken him a hell of a long time to get here. He faces another CZW-alumni, and as much of a veteran in the SoCal scene as Drake is in his in B-Boy. Don’t expect this to be pretty, or intelligent…but these two are going to beat the sh*t out of each other.

Younger gets a lukewarm response from the fans, whilst Excalibur and Chuck Taylor crack jokes about B-Boy’s act not changing since 2003. They waste no time in STIFFING THE SH*T out of each other in an early strike exchange. The queue at the bar indicates fans view this as a popcorn match, and even the commentators point out they are in a death spot after Steen/Mack. Clearly nobody told these guys though, as Drake MISSES a cannonball senton off the apron and splats into the wooden floor. Facelift Dropkick by Boy, although it’s more like a straight-up double stomp to the face in execution. Swinging neckbreaker in the ropes next, and the picture starts to look bleak for Younger. His strikes start to lose their snap…whilst B-Boy’s seem to get even stronger with a ‘f*cking unnecessary’ kick to the spine. MICHINOKU DRIVER ON THE APRON BY DRAKE! SOMERSAULT PLANCHA OFF THE TOP ROPE! Drake’s Landing blocked…so he hits a tiger driver instead, although he is still visibly slowed as a result of the beating B has inflicted. AVALANCHE IMPLANT DDT by B-Boy! STIFF HEADBUTTS! Younger is bleeding now, and gets his face double stomped into the apron. EXPLODER OFF THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! Drake looks like he’s been cut open on the back of his head as well now, as he’s now covered in blood. NOW the fans are into him, and they go nuts as he drags B-Boy off the top rope with a sit-out powerbomb…and even start booing as he gets put into the ground again moments later with the SoCal Cutter. HEAD DROP BACK DROP DRIVER! RUNNING KNEE TO THE FACE! DRAKE NO SELLS! ‘Drake don’t give a f*ck’ – Excalibur. HEAD DROP HALF NELSON SUPLEX! YOUNGER KICKS OUT! With one last headbutt duel both guy collapse to the ground. B-Boy angrily pulls off his elbow pads to expose the bare bone…and the two men circle each other before dishing out more frighteningly stiff strikes. Another Facelift Dropkick by B-Boy, which Drake NO SELLS TO HIT DRAKE’S LANDING! FOR 2! RUNNING KUDOH DRIVER BY B-BOY! DRAKE KICKS OUT AGAIN! HEAD DROP AIR RAID CRASH! B-Boy wins at 21:42

Rating - **** - I didn’t like this as much as some did (seriously, I’ve seen some crazy 5* ratings for this), and I’ll preface my rating with another warning to steer clear if you don’t like no selling or head drops. But, in fairness, if you like that sort of stuff you probably don’t watch PWG anyway. Lets begin by giving these two guys credit. Whatever you think of their style, to work this kind of match is insanely tough on their bodies – and they left everything in that ring to entertain the fans. Younger, in particular, took some absolutely brutal bumps and head shots. You don’t have to enjoy his style to respect his desire to entertain people at all costs. Not everything they did here was to my taste – but here was the beauty of the match for me. When it started, the crowd was pretty flat. They’d just seen the awesome Steen/Mack match, they weren’t that bothered about Drake’s debut, and nobody has cared that much about B-Boy in at least five years. There was a line at the bar, there were plenty of empty seats and fans moving around to get some air, go to the bathroom and so forth. By five minutes in people were finding it ‘interesting for a popcorn match’. By ten minutes in things were getting really heated. And by fifteen to twenty minutes the place was GOING NUTS! Everyone was on their feet, people were on chairs, slapping the canvas. By the end they were literally throwing streamers into the ring to indicate how much fun they’d had. Like I said, I don’t necessarily enjoy the all out, ‘f*ck psychology, lets just murder each other style’ as much as some. But I can really appreciate two wrestlers winning an indifferent crowd over through damn hard work. They more than deserved their standing ovation at the end.

Drake in particular gets a standing ovation from the Reseda faithful. After barely resonating with them during his intro, they now douse him in streamers and give him a ‘please come back’ chant. That kind of drama, and genuine emotional connections between fans and wrestlers, is what makes this business so special…and why I keep watching even as I get older and increasingly cynical.

Sami Callihan vs Michael Elgin
Just as Drake’s PWG career just got started with a bang, so it is for these two as well. They are only making their second appearances themselves, and since both are winless so far they will both be wanting a big victory tonight to start climbing the rankings.

Callihan isn’t interested in waiting for anything. BACK DROP DRIVER IN THE FIRST FIVE SECONDS! STRETCH MUFFLER! Elgin’s power sees him survive that, and as he muscles back to a vertical base he is able to out-strike Sami. Exploder suplex gets 2 for the ROH competitor…so Sami instantly gets up and starts bashing his face up with repeated bootscrapes. Heat Seeking Missile attempted, only for Elgin to catch him and plant him spine-first into the apron. Wisely Unbreakable makes it a slow match, ominously marching around the ring stalking him with continual hard-handed strikes and the obligatory ‘look how strong I am’ suplexes. It would actually be quite boring, but for the fact that Callihan sells it incredibly. His body goes limp, his facials are incredible…and there’s even a moment where, despite being unable to stand, he starts flipping Elgin off and hurling abuse at him. Corkscrew senton misses, giving the wounded Callihan a chance to hit a running DVD. He then frantically kicks Elgin’s knees out after he blocks a possible sunset flip bomb. What’s awesome here is that, even on offence, Sami is selling like Elgin has beaten the absolute sh*t out of him. Elgin does so some more as well, clubbing him with lariats…before Sami hits back with REPEATED KICKS TO THE FACE! Dead-lift German countered with stomps to the foot, so Elgin hits a CHAOS THEORY instead. Callihan looks a total wreck now and has to absorb a nasty roaring elbow to his neck for good measure. RUNNING LARIAT by Sami, leaving both men down. Elgin knees the sh*t out of his head, then knocks him out with a lariat of his own for 2. BACK FIST! BUCKLE BOMB! ELGIN BOMB COUNTERED TO THE STRETCH MUFFLER! Elgin escapes with another violent lariat. SPIRAL BOMB NAILED! Elgin gets his first PWG victory at 15:47

Rating - **** - I’ve never really ‘got’ Sami Callihan. I’ve seen him plenty of times, and I’ve even really enjoyed some of his matches. I quite enjoy his super-intense emo weirdo look/gimmick as well. But in the ring he’s never won me over, and I’ve never quite understood why the WWE signed him ahead of any of the other multiple guys on the indy scene who excel in executing overly stiff, head-droppy, offensive splurge matches with very little subtext or psychology. Although this wasn’t perhaps the most exciting match on the show, I thought Sami’s performance in this match was INSANELY good. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone sell for Elgin as well as this. He wasn’t just bumping around like a freak, he looked in pain himself when on offence…hell, he couldn’t even STAND properly. He was constantly screaming in pain or using the ropes to help him stand. As I said during play-by-play, his body language and facials were simply so good. Elgin, who has absolutely zero physical charisma himself, did pretty much his usual act. He hit his usual spots, at the usual time, and in truth won’t surprise you at all. But Callihan’s awesome work made this rather memorable. It didn’t have the super-fast, super-smooth technical work of Strong/TJP, the emotional story of Steen/Mack or the violence of Younger/B-Boy…but this was f*cking intense. Had this gone on earlier in the show (meaning the crowd weren’t quite so burnt out) I think a lot more people would be talking about this.

Super Smash Bros. vs Future Shock vs Young Bucks – PWG Tag Title Ladder Match
At the end of 2011 we saw the Young Bucks finally lose the PWG Tag Titles to Kevin Steen and Super Dragon in a brutal Guerrilla Warfare Match. Appetite For Destruction, as Steen and Dragon would be known, never actually lost the belts and had to vacate them after an injury to S-Drag. In May of 2012, the Bucks would be given the chance to win the belts back, as they and the Smash Bros. competed in a No DQ Match to crown new champions. Unfortunately for them, the SSB’s pulled off a shock victory over the veterans and left with the belts around their waists. Now they defend them against the Bucks, as well as the other young, rising stars of PWG’s tag division in Future Shock…a team that is now pretty much exclusive to Pro-Wrestling Guerrilla since ROH split them up.

The Young Bucks are the dicks of course, and try to attack both teams before the bell. UNO SMASHES NICK INTO THE F*CKING CROWD! That’s a pretty wild way to get things going. He then drills him into the apron as, on the other side of the ring, both members of Future Shock take turns hammering Matt with chairs. There is chaos on all sides of the ring, with wrestlers and fans getting sent flying. Future Shock are still teaming up, this time on Player Dos…until Matt Jackson gets some revenge on them with a chair. SUNSET FLIP BOMB OFF THE APRON THROUGH THE FIRST ROW OF CHAIRS from Matt to O’Reilly! SOMERSAULT PLANCHA BY STUPEFIED! OCEAN CYCLONE ON A LADDER from Cole to Matt! APRON MISSILE DROPKICK THROUGH A LADDER BY KYLE! How did fans not die during this match? He and Dos battle in the ring…and amusingly Nick slides a ladder into the ring and whacks them both with it. Uno tries to tip Nick off a ladder…ONLY FOR NICK TO SPRINGBOARD OFF THE TOP ROPE INTO A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA UP THE AISLE! That is f*cking incredible! Shiranui off a ladder by Matt! Cole stops him winning the match with a JUMPING ENZI FROM THE RING TO THE TOP OF A LADDER! LAUNCHPAD OCEAN CYCLONE THROUGH A LADDER! Future Shock have a clear path to the belts…for about two seconds before the Smash Bros. come at them with chairs. DOUBLE STOMP CHAIR BACKBREAKER from the SSB’s to O’Reilly! Kevin Steen and Excalibur have been stunned into near silence on commentary. The Bucks and the Smash Bros. just have the most insane fast-paced ladder lariat duel you’ll ever see. Nick Jackson is bleeding from something, but still finds time to Terry Funk the sh*t out of everyone – INCLUDING referee Rick Knox and his own brother!

Finally the Smash Bros. put a stop to his ladder-wielding reign of terror as they nail him with an Alabama lungblower. Referee Knox is bleeding and has to be carried to the locker room meaning there’s not even an official presence to oversee the mayhem now. Stupefied throws a ladder into Cole’s face, eats Axe & Smash from Kyle…who himself gets up into EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S! MORE BANG FOR YOUR F*CK! FALCON PUNCH THROUGH A CHAIR BY UNO! Fans start assisting Player Uno with setting up a table on the floor…giving Kyle time to recover and nail Uno with Kawada kicks. CHASING THE DRAGON THROUGH A CHAIR by Future Shock. Kevin Steen does seem genuinely concerned for his friends…as Dos hits a DOUBLE PELE KICK OFF A LADDER! Nick saves by putting a sledgehammer through Stupefied’s back, then laying him out on an open table in the ring. He flees…as Future Shock climb for a SUPERPLEX MATT OFF A LADDER, THROUGH THE TABLE! Uno and Dos sandwich Adam Cole in a ladder then set him up in the corner. Next they grab Kyle for a LAUNCHPAD BELLY TO BELLY SUPLEX through both the ladder and his own partner! The Young Bucks stop them hitting Fatality…so Matt can MURDER O’Reilly with a slingshot spike DDT on the apron. TOP ROPE FROG SPLASH THROUGH THE TABLE ON THE FLOOR BY NICK! Player Uno desperately tries to prevent the Young Bucks going after the belts, even in the face of a barrage of superkicks. EARLY ONSET ALZHEIMER’S TO COLE…who is still sandwiched in the ladder in the corner! Stupefied springboards at Matt…MID-AIR F*CKING SUPERKICK BY MATT! Rick Knox returns…and shoves the Bucks off the ladder for braining him earlier. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR BY THE F*CKING REFEREE! THE SMASH BROS. WIN! The carnage is over, and the champions retain at 23:56

Rating - ***** - I had to go back and see what rating I gave to the Summerslam 2000 TLC Match before I rated this one. The reason being is that, watching this I felt exactly like I did as a fifteen year old kid watching that Hardyz/Dudleyz/E&C classic for the first time. Had this taken place in WWE (not that they’d ever sanction this insanity) we’d be calling it the next evolution of the ladder match. Not only did this have the demolition derby, utterly chaos factor that those three teams pioneered in the WWF – but this one had speed, pace, flips, dives, and some of the most phenomenal innovations in high spots you’ll ever see. I’ve been reviewing pro-wrestling DVD’s for a long time, and have seen countless wrestling matches. This is up there as one of the best spotfests I’ve ever seen. And the moment where Nick got shoved off a ladder in the ring, yet somehow managed to land on the top rope, to springboard into a somersault dive to the floor, may well be the most jaw-dropping high spot I’ve ever seen. Thank you to all six men for putting their bodies through this for my entertainment!

Tape Rating - **** - I’ll start by stating the obvious – this is an amazing show. If you are a PWG fan, odds are you already own or have seen this. If you are a PWG fan, and you like their style and product, but you’ve not seen this show…then stop reading this review and track down a copy of this DVD now. However, the reason I couldn’t go higher on the rating is that, I’m simply not sure how much MASS appeal this show has. I’ve seen PWG shows which do a lot more to cater to all wrestling tastes and styles. As I said, fans and supporters of the PWG style will love this show. But there are plenty of wrestling fans out there who like a little story-telling, psychology and/or substance to go alongside their high spots. At times this show is so frantic, and so full-on with guys neck-dropping and no selling everywhere that it’ll give you a headache. I enjoy this kind of product, but for people that don’t, how much would they really enjoy matches like Edwards/Cage, B-Boy/Younger or even Elgin/Callihan? For me, this is an enthusiastic thumbs up. I absolutely loved the show. The main event is mind-blowing and I can’t recommend it strongly enough. If you’ve never seen PWG, if you loved the TLC matches back in the day, then you NEED to see Smash Bros/Young Bucks/Future Shock. The streak of 4*+ matches from Edwards/Cage to the main event is freaking ridiculous. However, stylistically this is very much a NICHE product. PWG, despite what some may say, are capable of delivering events with much more broadline/mass market appeal than this. For that reason I can’t go higher than 4*

Top 3 Matches
3) Michael Elgin vs Sami Callihan (****)
2) Kevin Steen vs Willie Mack (****)
1) Super Smash Bros. vs Future Shock vs Young Bucks (*****) 

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